Investigators obtain data recorder from container ship in Fitzgerald collision

https://www.navytimes.com/articles/investigators-obtain-data-recorder-in-the-destroyer-fitzgerald-collision

Investigators obtain data recorder from container ship in Fitzgerald collision

By: Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press, June 22, 2017

TOKYO — Japanese authorities said Thursday they have obtained a data recording device from a container ship to help determine why it collided with a U.S. destroyer, killing seven American sailors. Japanese transport safety officials said they obtained the voyage data recorder, similar to an airplane's "black box," from the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal, which is currently docked in Yokohama near Tokyo.

Investigators are examining the ship's movements, including its location, direction, speed and other data to determine the cause of its collision with the USS Fitzgerald early Saturday off Izu Peninsula, west of Tokyo.
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The safety board is focusing on the cause of the collision and the lessons to be learned, while Japan's coast guard is investigating possible professional negligence in the accident. U.S. Navy and Coast Guard officials are investigating the destroyer at its home port, Yokosuka naval base.

Japanese coast guard official Takeshi Aikawa said the first distress call came from the container ship at 2:25 a.m., and it identified the other party as "a U.S. warship." The coast guard immediately contacted the destroyer to ask about its damage. "They requested our help in the rescue operations," he said. Within two hours, a Japanese coast guard patrol ship was at the scene.

The Japanese coast guard has revised its estimate of the collision time from an initial 2:20 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. after interviewing the Crystal's crewmembers and examining the ship's location. It is not known why the two vessels did not immediately contact the coast guard, Japanese officials say. There is speculation that the Fitzgerald might have been temporarily unable to communicate because of damage from the collision, or because its crew was working frantically to keep the ship from sinking. Japanese officials say every ship is equipped with a backup communication system for emergencies.
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